Pointless time….something I, and many other college students don’t particularly like. Sitting in utter silence for fifteen minutes casts what feels like a wave of anxiety through my head and chest. While being a college student gives one their first sense of freedom it also brings about a new host of challenges. Having to manage your schedule on your own, get work done in a fashionable time frame, and lead a social life are all apart of this newfound “freedom”. But all of these pressures come out like a tidal wave when you sit there in silence with nothing to do.

Another agonizing part of fifteen minutes of nothing is being pulled away from electronic devices. While sitting at a desk doing nothing for fifteen minutes, I was drawn to the thought of all I could have done in that period of time. I could have went through the entirety of my Instagram and Twitter feeds, checked my text messages and both email accounts. But part of the realization I had during my time doing nothing was how “nothing” are society is today. If you walk around campus you are swarmed by kids listening to music that is too loud while staring into their phone like its a black hole. Rather than walking on my phone with ear piercing music playing I could talk to a friend while walking or think about what I just learned in class.

But… is sitting on my phone as opposed to sitting and doing nothing really pointless time? I would have to say no. During my fifteen minutes of silence I realized that being on my phone keeps me thinking. Thinking about what I need to do and how to do it. However, sitting and doing nothing is completely pointless time.